


past the breakers

by ndnickerson



Series: nothing else but this [2]
Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: Anniversary, Dancing, Doggy Style, F/M, Jealousy, Porn Battle, Porn With Plot, Resolved Sexual Tension, Shower Sex, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-18
Updated: 2015-02-18
Packaged: 2018-03-13 15:29:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3386849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ndnickerson/pseuds/ndnickerson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the amnesty period for Porn Battle VII; prompts: need, rooftop, satin, exception, shower. Nancy and Ned make plans to get away for a little while.</p>
            </blockquote>





	past the breakers

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally published in July 2012.

"Nancy, have you seen my—"

Carson Drew's mouth curves up when he sees the wire-rimmed glasses resting on the crown of his daughter's head. Since the optometrist recommended reading glasses for him, Nancy has taken to stealing them when she finds them misplaced, in the breakfast nook or beside his armchair, and putting them on her head. She puts the book she's reading to the side and surrenders them, giving her father a little pout.

"Why the face, sweetheart?"

"Because, after much deliberation, I have come to the unavoidable conclusion that you are a terrible father," she says, putting a deep frown on her face.

"I absolutely have to hear this," he says, sitting down at the closer side of the couch.

"A father's job is to make sure his daughter is provided for," she says, propping her chin on her hand. "To get her out of the house and into someone else's, out into the world. And yet here I am, reduced to taking a job I love to pay for my salads and bullets... and with absolutely no way to buy a new dress for this weekend."

"Well, you do know why you are paying for those salads and bullets."

She nods, a little. "I know."

"Besides, haven't you considered that the opposite is true? That I hated when you went to Wilder and now that you're back home I have no intention of letting you go again?"

"Well, fathers who try to make their daughters into Rapunzel... end up with rebellious daughters who leave anyway," she points out.

"And if I'm doomed either way... that's not really a good incentive, is it," he points out, although he slips his wallet out of his pocket and plucks out his gold card, handing it over. "Speaking of the reason that you might want a new dress for this weekend... Hannah tells me that you've been spending a lot of time over at Ned's place."

Nancy ducks her head. It's not that she's ever asked Hannah to lie, just that she was hoping the question wouldn't come up. She and Ned have had meals with their parents, and while everyone seems to be happy with the renewal of their relationship, the freedom to do as she wished is one thing she does miss about Wilder. Not much else, though.

"I know it's your life, sweetheart... but I just don't want you getting too serious, too quickly."

"I won't," she says. "I guess we're just making up for lost time."

"Three or four nights a week?"

Hannah has always been loyal to them both, but she also caves immediately under pressure. "Well, sometimes we get to talking and it would be ridiculous to... drive..."

The skepticism on his face would make her laugh, if he were anyone else. "I remember what life was like at your age," he says. "And I remember how much you two loved each other, and how much it hurt when you broke up." He pats her knee. "I just don't want to see you go through that again, and with everything else..."

He's talking about the time after the shooting, after she left Wilder and Hannah and her father were what pulled her through. Deciding to pursue her licensure after she changed her mind and decided she didn't want to be a journalist, not if that was what it took... And with Bess and George so far away, with Ned no longer a part of her life, she had felt lost.

"I know... and thank you for looking out for me," she says. "Really. Ned and I... he's good for me."

"Well, you have been happier lately," he says, studying her. "And, despite all evidence to the contrary, that is what I want."

She slips her arms around him and gives him a hug. "I know you do. I was just teasing."

He smiles. "Just... come home every now and then, okay? I do like to see my favorite daughter sometimes..."

She chuckles. "I'm your only daughter," she says, and gives him a kiss on the cheek.

\--

"So, please, please, for the love of God, tell me you're free for Labor Day."

She chuckles, glancing down at the gun she has disassembled on her lap. "Oh? Got something good in mind, Nickerson?"

"I certainly think it is. We'll see, though. So say yes, okay?"

"Is it a lake trip?"

"Yeah, and everyone's going. Mike and Jan, Howie and his girlfriend, Paul and Brook... I think Johnny Depp's publicist said he's gonna try to make an appearance."

Nancy chuckles. "Big house, lots of beer and sun..." she sighs. Part of the allure of going away with him is being as loud and wild as they want, without worrying about being told to quiet down. Well, at least not by anyone who has any power. Snagging a bedroom to share with him in an already-crowded party house, fully aware that if they're loud during sex they'll attract at least a few listeners isn't perfect, but the idea of going away with him, relaxing with him, she likes that.

"Yeah, and the house is already going to be full, people on the couches and everything, so I checked with my dad—and he has a rental cabin out there. It'll be perfect. We can hang out with the guys during the day, go back to our place at night..."

" _Our_ place. I like that," she says with a laugh. "And if I get the whole weekend off, let's actually go out—although, does the place have a kitchen?"

"Yep. My God, don't tell me you actually want to _cook_ for once."

"I thought we both could. And if I sweet-talk Hannah into making a cake for us..."

Ned releases a soft whistle. "And we keep it very secret, because if any of the guys get wind of that, they will devour that thing before I get a bite. So you will go?"

"Well..." she drawls, rubbing the gun barrel with a cloth. "I'll have to sweet-talk my boss, and if it's a busy weekend for assignments, maybe throw in a blowjob..."

"Oh, God, anything but that, honey. You need some more practice. You try that and when he finally stops icing up he'll have you on every night and weekend for the next year."

"I'll keep that in mind," she says dryly. Ned met her boss a few weeks back, when they happened to all three go to the same place for lunch, and Trent had been his usual immaculately-dressed gay self. "Seriously, I don't think it'll be a problem. I'll start packing my string bikinis tonight."

\--

Trent is almost theatrically exasperated when she goes in the next morning, asking if she can possibly take the whole Labor Day weekend off. "I remember a time when you would volunteer for pretty much any weekend assignment," he sighs, sitting back. "All-night stakeouts, all the dangerous shit. Now here we are, and you're actually asking for a holiday off." He shakes his head. "I suppose I can spare you. And I suppose this involves that handsome dark-haired guy I saw you with a few weeks ago."

"It does," she nods. "And, thank you. I mean it. This means a lot to me."

Trent smiles. "I'll keep that in mind. And I appreciate that you've been so dedicated here. I don't think I've ever had another rookie who was such a natural at the work."

"Well... I had a lot of practice," Nancy admits with a smile.

She texts Ned during her next break. _We're a go! I can't wait!_

_YESSSSSSSSSSSS THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME DREW_

Nancy laughs when she sees his message. _Better be, with all this buildup._

She ends up working through dinner and when she texts Ned to let him know, he says he'll keep something warm for her. She cautions him that she won't be able to stay too long, but when she walks in he comes to her immediately, sweeping her up into his arms, a huge grin on his face.

"You, me, and a three-day weekend at the lake with string bikinis," he says when he puts her down, and she's grinning at him in return, cupping his cheek and drawing him down to her for a kiss. "God, I can't wait."

"Me either." She follows him to the kitchen, and as he preheats the countertop grill she pulls out the cheese, mustard, and ketchup. "And yeah, you were right. The blowjob was a bad idea," she teases him, and he casts a mock-scowl at her.

"I told you." He pulls a plate and two already-pressed hamburger patties out. "Speaking of oral sex, I know you said you couldn't stay too long..."

She shrugs, leaning back against the counter. "Yeah, Dad noticed how often I was staying over here..."

"Oh?"

She nods slowly. "But I'm sure we could get some practice in. Yeah, I know, you don't need any," she says, smiling at him as she bumps her shoulder against his.

As soon as the grill preheats, Ned puts two on and closes the cover. "So how hungry do you think I am, Nickerson?"

Ned shrugs. "If you don't eat the other one, I will," he says, reaching for the timer.

"So... we have eight minutes."

Ned's eyebrows rise a little. "You think we can get into some trouble in eight minutes?"

"Let's find out," Nancy says, a twinkle in her eye as she leads him to his couch. Before he sits down she reaches for his fly, sliding down his jeans and underwear, and he falls back willingly when she pushes him. He slides forward, his legs open, watching as she pushes the coffee table back, then kneels in front of him, gently stroking her fingertips up and down the underside of his shaft.

"Any directions, Mr. Nickerson?"

Ned leans back, his eyes low-lidded. "Mmm. No teeth at all, and do what feels good," he says, letting out a little groan when she swipes the tip of her tongue over the head of his cock.

By the time the timer is chirping in the kitchen, Ned's head is tipped back, his eyes closed, his breath labored. Nancy pulls back, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, and heads to the bathroom to wash her mouth out. She turns the timer off and unplugs the grill before heading back into the living room, and chuckles when she sees Ned hasn't moved since she got up off her knees.

"Still terrible?" she murmurs, running the fingers of one hand through his thick hair.

"Mmm," Ned breathes with a little sigh, his eyes still closed. "Oh God yes, you need so much more practice. I think I'm dead. I think you killed me, Drew."

"That's a damn shame, because I was really hoping we could fool around some more before I had to go home..."

Ned's dark eyes flutter open and when their gazes meet, she shivers a little. The bolt of desire that sizzles through her every single time their eyes lock, she has found with absolutely no one else—and she looked for it, God knows she tried to find it again with someone else while they were apart.

"Oh, shit, the burgers—"

"I'll get them. You just stay right here, sweetheart," she says with false solicitousness, and vanishes into the kitchen. She makes them each a plate, his burger the way he likes it, hers with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mustard, drops a handful of chips on each, and walks back in with their plates. Ned has his pants back on and the coffee table cleared off, and he goes for their drinks and a stack of napkins while she tries to find anything that doesn't involve a sporting event on his cable service.

Ned shivers when he sits down next to her. "Seriously, you are amazing," he says, reaching over to brush his lips against her cheek. "Mmmm. That was so good, baby."

"Well, Trent gave me some pointers..." She ducks the chip he throws at her, giggling. "No, really, but he did ask about you."

Ned blinks. "Are all those things related?"

"When I went in this morning to ask if I could get the time off," she says, rolling her eyes. "He asked if it had something to do with 'that handsome dark-haired man.'"

Ned grins. "Well, that's a ringing endorsement."

They ignore the police procedural Nancy flipped to and talk over their days, and Nancy remembers the proposal he was working on last week—and she can tell he's glad that she does, too. It happens less and less often now, but sometimes she can still feel it in him, that part of him coiled and waiting for her to revert to the way things used to be between them.

She could have gotten by, treating Jake or Peter or Michael the way she used to treat Ned... but mostly because she never felt for them, what she feels for Ned. He was with her through so much and just thinking of how close they were to never seeing each other again makes her feel almost desperate. He calls her his girlfriend and they spend almost every second they can together, and while that was enough before... she knows now that he is who she wants, forever, and she's not sure how long _this,_ this easy casual relationship between them, will be enough for her.

Before, before Wilder, she had known what he wanted. Him in a suit and her in a white dress, and the two of them swearing together forever. Now, though... now she's the one afraid to say it. Maybe if they manage to make it through a year this way, they can think about the next step—but she knows _now_.

And how could he wait so long, with this certainty in him?

_I think I was losing you from the first moment I met you._

She can't imagine feeling that way. She can't imagine how terrified she would be if she really thought this was all temporary, that at any moment he could change his mind and it would all vanish, that her best friend, one of the best things in her life, could be gone.

She takes their emptied plates to the kitchen and leaves them in the sink with the rest, and when she comes back around the couch he captures her hips in his large warm palms and holds her in front of him, tipping his head back to gaze up into her face. Her smile goes still and for a moment they stay locked like that, and there is nothing in the world for her, nothing beyond him and this.

He keeps one palm cupped against her side and his gaze stays locked to hers as he draws his fingertips up over her crotch, through her pants, and she shivers, trying to keep herself under control. He unfastens her pants and she lets them slide down, picking them up to toss them over the armchair so they don't wrinkle, and then he's slipping his fingertips down between her sides and her panties, slipping those down too.

She starts unfastening her shirt as she sits down beside him, turning so her feet are on the couch and she's facing him, and once her shirt is open she lies down, her knees up. She drapes one leg over the back of the couch and the other slides down to rest her foot on the floor, and he's wearing too many fucking clothes, but then he moves over her, on his knees, his eyes dark as he gazes down at her.

"I love you, baby," he whispers, teasing her with light, soft kisses before he slants his mouth down over hers, hard and possessive. She tilts her hips, her fingers running through his thick, wavy hair before he breaks the kiss and nuzzles his way down, kissing the valley between her breasts, the scar of her bullet wound, her belly button—

And her mouth falls open when he runs his tongue just over the tip of her clit. She runs her fingers through his hair again, a little more roughly this time, cupping his head, as he works his way down, tracing the slick folds of her inner flesh with his fingers and his tongue. He's making it slow, so fucking slow, but she loves it. He's taking his time. She doesn't even think about telling him to hurry because she has to get home. God, how can she stop him when what he's doing feels so fucking _amazing_ —

She gasps out a cry when he lashes her clit back and forth with his tongue, two long fingers slipping up inside her, and she tightens hard against him, imagining his cock, imagining the hot hard length of him, still slick with her saliva, buried between her thighs. She rocks under him and he switches off, rubbing his fingers against her clit as he traces her opening with his tongue.

She hears a deep, desperate moan and realizes it's coming from her. "I love you, God, I love you so much," she whimpers, arching. "Oh _fuck_ , baby, that feels so good..."

He plunges three fingers up inside her, rubbing the stubbled point of his chin against her clit between lashing it with his tongue, and she arches until the crown of her head is against the couch cushion, her every muscle tensed as she pants in silent screams, fists clenching as she comes.

She is sprawled, loose-limbed, her throat dry when she finally gets her breath back and swallows, tipping her chin down again. Ned is settled back down on his side of the couch, but when she pushes herself up, he's looking at her, a soft smile on his face. "So," he murmurs, "I cannot _wait_ until we're at the lake and I can hear you scream when you come, baby."

She chuckles, reaching for her panties. "God, you are so good," she murmurs. "So incredibly good. You do that again when we're at the lake and I'll be shocked if no one calls the cops."

She buttons her shirt back up, but when she pushes herself off the couch, moving past him to retrieve her slacks, he catches her with an arm around her waist. She glances down at him questioningly.

"You don't have to go yet," he murmurs. "Right?"

She glances at her watch. "Well," she drawls, letting him draw her back down to the couch. "I guess I can stay a _little_ while longer. Besides, isn't your show about to start?"

He finds his show on the guide and settles back, draping his arm over her shoulders, and she snuggles against him, her head against his shoulder. She can feel the faintest echo of her heart, and his own, can feel the soft glow of her orgasm settling into her, and during the first commercial break he asks if she wants a drink while he gets himself one. He returns to her with a glass of soda and settles it on a coaster, which makes her smile—his mother trained him well—and when she shivers a little against him, she pulls the afghan off the back of the couch to drape over her bare legs and his lap.

And the warmth and her relaxation, and the feel of him against her... when she feels his fingertips against her cheek, her eyelashes flutter up, and he's smiling at her. She must have fallen asleep; the credits are rolling.

"See? You can't drive home," he murmurs, and he gently runs the backs of his fingers over the line of her jaw. "Stay here with me tonight."

She gives him a small smile. "You have no idea how much I want to," she murmurs. "I do. But I'd have to get up early in the morning and go home to get changed..."

He shakes his head and draws her onto his lap, into his arms, and she wraps her arms around him in return, resting her head against his shoulder again. "I wish you didn't have to go," he whispers. "I love waking up to see you next to me."

Her heart squeezes painfully hard in her chest, at how happy his words make her. "I love that too," she murmurs. "Thank you for dinner. And for that incredibly talented tongue." She rubs the tip of her nose against his, and when their lips meet she melts against him, gently running her nails down the back of his neck. He shivers against her and lightly cups her breast, and she breaks off the kiss, panting a little as she moves back.

"Mmm," she warns him reluctantly. "I have to get home before I pass out. Even though I wish I could stay here with you," she murmurs, brushing her lips over his again.

"Okay," he says reluctantly, and she moves off his lap, slipping her pants back on. At his door he pulls her back into his arms again, trapping her between him and the wall, and smiles down at her.

"I love you so much, Nan."

"I love you too, baby," she murmurs, slipping her arms up around his neck. "I can't wait to get to the lake. Three _whole days_ together."

"Think you might be able to leave around lunch Friday, so we can beat the traffic?"

"I don't know," she admits, searching his eyes. "I'll do my best, though, okay?"

"I know you will, sweetheart, and if we can't go until Saturday morning, it's not the end of the world. Maybe you could tell your dad you have to stay over here so we can get an early start?" he suggests with a little grin. "And he's okay with us going?"

"It wasn't... it wasn't about that, or about you. After I was shot, he and Hannah were all that kept me going, and he's just afraid we're moving too fast. He doesn't want me to... to get hurt."

He kisses her ear, then whispers into it, "The last thing I want to do is hurt you... I thought—do you think we're moving too fast?"

She cups his cheek and moves so she can look into his eyes. "If I weren't a hundred percent sure that I wanted to be with you, then yeah, we would be," she says frankly. "But I love you and I want to be with you, and I hate that I have to go home right now... I love sleeping beside you. I never sleep better than I do over here."

He smiles, brushing his lips against hers. "I love sleeping next to you, too," he says. "And with you... and I'm a thousand percent sure that this is where I want to be. With you."

She kisses him hard. "Ned," she whispers, but she can't bring herself to say it. Not yet.

_I want to spend the rest of my life like this, in your arms, no matter what we call it. Even if you never put another ring on my finger, you're everything to me, and I only want to be with you._

He pulls her up into his arms and kisses her until she's defenseless, until she can hear her heart echoing in her ears, can feel the pulse of reawakened arousal between her thighs. She's gasping when they break the kiss, and oh, he smells like the barest spicy tang of sweat and musky cologne, and if he carried her to his bedroom right now—

He gives her one last soft kiss, then lowers her back to the floor. "If I don't let you go right now I won't," he says, his voice low and gravelly with arousal, and she stands on her tiptoes to kiss him again before she releases him, hooking her thumb under her purse strap.

When she reaches the top of the stairs she glances back down to see him there, barefoot and gazing up at her, and it feels like every atom in her entire body is attuned to the pull of their attraction to each other, and she literally can't take another step away from him. She blows him a kiss and he smiles.

"You sure you'll be okay to get home?" he calls to her, quietly.

She nods. "But if I turn around and come back..."

He shakes his head. "Don't tease me, Drew. If I wake up and find you in my bed it'll be a dream come true."

\--

The rental cabin at the lake is nothing special. The main bedroom is small, the queen-sized bed spread with quilts, and they have to make it up when they arrive; Nancy sees matched twin beds in the other, quilts folded neatly at the bottom. The kitchenette is small but their bedroom has a closet and she hangs up her dress, still in its opaque plastic bag, and smiles at the thought of Ned's reaction on seeing it.

The sun is already high and bright on Saturday morning when they walk over to the larger vacation house, Nancy in her blue string bikini and a gauzy yellow cover-up, Ned in black swim trunks and a gray tank, their fingers interlaced as their sandals kick up small drifts of sand.

"So we're making dinner tonight," Ned muses. "In that tiny little kitchen. Where we'll have barely enough space to fuck against the counter."

She bumps her shoulder against his arm, shushing him, although she's grinning. "Where it will be _romantic_ ," she corrects him. "It's almost our anniversary, after all."

Ned's mouth drops open. "Our—oh man, we have a new anniversary now..."

She blinks at him through her sunglasses, wishing she could really see his eyes. "Well," she begins, hitching her beach bag up a little on her shoulder, "I just thought..."

"Hey, no," he says, and slows to a stop so he can brush a kiss against her cheek. "No, you're right. We're making a new start, we have a new anniversary. And I can't think of a better way to spend it than eating a nice homecooked meal with you. And then picking you up and taking you to bed and listening to you scream in pleasure while I..."

He trails off when he glances at the shoreline in front of them. "Go on," she teases him, and he waits a beat before he glances down at her, his lips quirking up in a smile.

"While I do whatever you want me to do to you," he finishes, then looks back at the group of twenty-somethings on the beach. "And we will. Babe... I swear I didn't know, okay?"

She follows his gaze. A group of girls and guys is clustered around the volleyball net, most of them already stripped down to swim trunks and bikinis. A few girls are draped over beach towels, skin gleaming with lotion. And Nancy sees one girl coming down the walk, from the vacation house toward the shore, the triangle top of her bikini so miniscule it barely covers anything, her low-cut briefs swaying with the calculated swing of her hips.

That brunette bitch who had tried her damnedest to get into Ned's pants the night of his housewarming party. Jennifer.

Nancy puts a smile on her face. "I believe you," she says, turning to him. "And it'll be okay."

"You sure?"

She makes a face at him. "Well, what do you want to do, turn around and go back to the house?"

"And find out what you look like under that tiny little bikini? I'm sorry, what's the downside?" he teases her, leaning in to kiss her neck, and she giggles.

"Maybe that it'll look like I'm afraid of her, when I'm definitely not?" she says. "Or maybe that you know _exactly_ what I look like under this bikini?"

"Not _exactly_ ," he says. "I mean, some very faint tan lines may have formed... and they might taste just a little different..."

She squeezes his hand, glad that the cover-up is keeping her undoubtedly hard nipples from view, and begins to lead him to the rest of the group. "Are _you_ okay?" she asks.

He shrugs. "I'm with the woman I love," he says, releasing her hand so he can slip his arm around her waist. "They could do a Victoria's Secret fashion shoot down the beach and I wouldn't care... well, except I'd probably ask if you could join in."

They've almost reached the group when she stands up on her tiptoes to whisper into his ear, "Just wait until later, baby, and you'll get to see one in person."

She has to admit that she loves to render him speechless. They wave hello to Mike and Jan, Paul and Brook, Howie and Jasmine, Jennifer and Brittney and a few other people Nancy doesn't remember from Emerson, but the way they all look at each other, how familiar they seem to be with each other, it feels like they were probably all there together. And while Nancy knows three of the couples, from the rest of them she can sense a certain coldness, especially from Jennifer. She isn't _one of them_.

For the briefest second she remembers it again. Ned had wanted her to go to Emerson; he had practically begged her to consider it, and she had applied and been accepted. But she had been determined to go to Wilder. She had wanted to go somewhere where he hadn't done everything first, where she wouldn't just be his girlfriend. And then it had been too hard to just be his girlfriend anymore...

Nancy isn't inclined to wish her past different, to wish she had taken other paths. Maybe life at Emerson would have been just as hard. But she would have been with him...

She shakes her head a little. If Jennifer wants to be a bitch, Jennifer can be a bitch to her, because at the end of the day, Nancy will be the one sharing Ned's bed, and Jennifer will be the one eating her own heart out in jealousy.

"Hey!" Jan greets Nancy with a smile. She and Ned have managed to squeeze in a few double dates with Ned's best friend and his girlfriend, and Nancy returns the smile easily. She genuinely likes Jan—and Jan seems to like her too. And she can use a friend.

She thinks, with a pang, of Bess and George. Bess sent her a Facebook message a few days ago, as part of a mass announcement to come see her in an off-off-Broadway production; she hasn't heard from George in far too long. And she misses them both terribly, wishes Bess had been around to help her pack for this trip and plan ensembles meant to take Ned's breath away, wishes George had been there to help her practice some Judo or commiserate over her work schedule.

Jan rolls her eyes in the direction of the volleyball match, which Ned has joined. Mike's on the other side of the net, trash-talking his friend with a wide grin on his face. "I've been begging Mike to help me grab the cooler, but he's so easily distracted. Mind giving me a hand?"

Nancy shakes her head, giving Ned a little wave, and he inclines his head as she and Jan walk toward the house. As soon as they've reached the small ridge, Jan glances over her shoulder. "I didn't realize Jen got herself invited along again," she says apologetically.

Nancy shrugs, flipping a wing of red-gold hair over her shoulder. "It's fine. If she wants to make a fool of herself, more power to her."

Once they're inside, Nancy can't help but marvel a little at the enormous vacation house. The living room is large and spacious, with overstuffed furniture in ivory and tasteful pastels. Jan lifts the automatic icemaker out of the freezer and dumps it into the large cooler, then begins to pull bottled water and sodas out of the fridge. Nancy finds another bag of ice in the freezer and begins to open that, to toss it in too.

Jan straightens, theatrically running the back of her hand over her brow. "Whew! I'm going to give that boy a smack for leaving us to do all the dirty work," she says with a grin. "And, by the way, you and Ned could totally have stayed here—we just didn't know Howie and his girlfriend were definitely going to come, and..."

Nancy shrugs it off with a little wave. "Don't worry about it," she says with a smile. "Ned and I have a place all to ourselves, and besides... it's nice to have some privacy."

Jan smiles, opening the refrigerator again and locating a few sports drinks. "Well, I would say that maybe one weekend we could just get away, the four of us, but yeah, that privacy thing is nice. Must suck to have his landlord right overhead, huh?"

Nancy nods. "Let's just say I'm going to take advantage of this weekend," she says with a little smile.

They have the cooler at the back door before Jan sighs and gestures for them to pause, then pulls out one of the water bottles and adds an individual packet of lemonade mix. While she shakes it up, she turns to Nancy. "I just want you to know... Ned has seemed really happy since you two got back together, and I know Mike is really happy about it too."

Nancy snags her own bottle of water, taking a small sip before she manages to ask, "So he was upset after we broke up too?"

Jan dips her head. "Well, yeah. I mean, there were other girls, but..." She shrugs.

"Girls like Jen." Nancy's voice is almost a whisper. While she hasn't brought it up with Ned, doesn't really want to imagine him with anyone else, she still finds herself wondering about it, every now and then. After all, she lost her virginity to Ned... and then he moved on to more experienced girls. And it's not like she was a nun while they were apart either. It's just that there's so much she feels like she doesn't know about the time they were apart, and most of it doesn't matter now... but she's curious.

"Yeah." Jan looks away. "Although Jen was one of the worst. She's so damn catty and superficial. She'll smile to your face and badmouth you as soon as you walk away. Although, would you expect anything else from a bitter ex-girlfriend?"

"Well, she certainly is gorgeous," Nancy admits, a little sourly, as she and Jan maneuver the cooler out onto the patio.

"Mike told me once that even if a girl is super-hot, a bad personality is a huge turn-off," Jan confides. "And she sure as hell has that. Are you really worried about her turning his head?"

Nancy shakes her head slowly. "I think it's just that she's a tangible reminder of what he could have. What he _did_ have. I just want him so happy that he doesn't start wishing for that again. If that makes any sense."

"Well, he is happy." Jan drops her voice as they cross the path, watching Jasmine leap into the air to return a serve. "Just look at his face."

As soon as he sees Nancy, Ned only has eyes for her, even though Jen is on the other side of the net, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet, making sure her breasts jiggle invitingly just where Ned can see them.

The volleyball players take a break to rehydrate, and when Jen waves it off, Nancy senses a trick. Sure enough, the players are reorganizing, debating whether to start a new game or continue the old, when Jen fans herself dramatically. "Oh God, it just hit me. Can someone go grab me a water?"

Nancy's mouth turns up in a small smile, and she flips up the cooler, locating a sweating bottle of water. "Here you go, Jen," she says, handing it to the other girl with a smile. "Drink up! You don't want to get sunstroke."

Jen's answering smile is full, but it doesn't reach her eyes. With a glance back at Jan, eyes sparkling, Nancy strolls down to the sandy bank, digging through her beach bag for a towel. Brook strides out of the water, tossing Nancy a cheerful wave. "So glad you could get out here for the weekend!" Brook says, wringing out the ends of her dripping hair. "It's gonna be a blast."

"Sure is," Nancy says with a smile. "It's really nice to see you again."

"You too. I think I'm gonna grab a drink... you want in on the game?"

Nancy shakes her head. "Go ahead. Maybe after lunch."

Nancy spreads her towel on the beach and, her back to the game but still fully aware of Ned's gaze on her, reaches down and pulls off her cover-up in one fluid motion. The string bikini is a bright aquamarine that sets off her eyes and her red-gold hair. She stretches and ignores the urge to run her fingertips over the old scars, the bullet wound, the glance of knives, the pale raised flesh. Ned doesn't shy away from them when they're making love...

Well, she's not hidden behind a cover-up now, so it's better not to let her mind go down that particular well-worn path. She tosses her hair and lowers herself gracefully to the towel, sitting indian-style as she gazes out on the water.

It only takes a moment before a shadow passes over her, and she shades her eyes and glances up to see Ned. "We had an odd number of people," he explains. "And I seem to remember that you usually need lotion, at times like this..."

"Maybe _you_ do," she replies with a small wicked smile, then rummages in her beach bag. "If you would be so kind, though..."

She lies down on her back, keeping her eyes on him, because she loves to see him while he's touching her. He starts at her neck and smoothes the lotion over her chest, a small smile curving his lips as he gently runs his fingertips just under the edge of her bikini top. The lotion is warm on his palms as he massages it into her belly and down her sides, her upper thighs, her knees, her calves. By the time he's finished working his way down the front of her, she can't imagine any foreplay that ends with them both wearing clothes possibly being any hotter. Just the barest brush of his skin against hers makes her flinch with the pure delight of the sensation.

"Okay."

For a second she imagines him untying her bottoms and kneeling over her, and her eyes flutter shut. God, she doesn't have it in her right now to tell him no if he tries.

Ned chuckles. "Roll over, babe."

She lets out a little moan, meant only for him. "You... you think anyone would notice if we went in the house for a little while?"

"Probably." He looks amused, but his eyes have that low-lidded smoldering look that always, no matter what the circumstance, makes her inner flesh throb in answer.

She sighs, rolling over onto her belly, and when Ned unties her top she narrows her eyes at him. "What? Just trying to be thorough," he says, a little grin on his face. He works the lotion down her sides and when his fingertips brush the sides of her breasts, she presses her face into her towel, letting out little groans of frustration. He makes his way down her legs, and when he works the lotion into her back, his strong fingers massage her muscles until she can't move, until she can barely manage to breathe, she's so relaxed.

He finishes with the gentle stroke of his fingertips up the line of her spine.

"Hmm. The sun does seem pretty strong today. Wonder if there are any gorgeous girls around here who might help me with my back..." Ned muses, spreading out his own towel beside hers.

"Mmm. I think you killed me, Nickerson," Nancy murmurs, just barely managing to turn her head. "Retie my top and give me a couple minutes."

He contents himself with stroking lotion down his muscular arms and over his chest and legs, although he doesn't retie her top until she points out that if she gets sunburned on her breasts, he definitely won't be allowed to touch them later. "There's an easy solution to that," he points out, a wicked grin on his face, as he reknots it.

"If you actually try to put lotion on my boobs, Nickerson—I am gonna drag you inside by your hard-on and fuck you against the first available surface."

He blinks, clearly enjoying that mental image. "So that was a dare...?"

She shakes her head, gesturing for him to roll onto his stomach so she can lotion up his back.

After lunch, while they're waiting until they can go back into the water, Nancy and Ned join in another volleyball game, and then Jen tries to drag Ned out to the lake. He shakes his head, and when he glances over at Nancy, she shrugs. She isn't going to stop him if he wants to go out there with Jen. She can see Jack talking to Brook, though, keeping an eye on things himself, and Nancy stands, stretching, tossing out her hair. At least she's not so sensitive with arousal that just the shift of her swimsuit against her skin is painfully intense anymore.

"I seem to remember Mike saying he was going to wipe the floor with you earlier," Nancy says, crossing her arms and noting with some amusement the way Ned's gaze drops immediately to her breasts. "So let's make it interesting. Me and Mike against you and Jen."

Jen's eyes immediately brighten, before she cuts them at Nancy, sensing a trap.

"You sure Jan's gonna be on board?" Ned asks, as Mike comes over, draining the last of his beer. Nancy opted for lemonade at lunchtime, but most of the guys drank at least one beer.

"Babe? Chicken fight?" Mike calls.

Jan wrinkles her nose, looking up from the book she's reading. The cover illustration is a lurid pastel embrace featuring heaving bosoms and windswept hair. "Ugh, not yet. Have fun." She catches Nancy's eye, raising her eyebrow just a fraction before she returns to her book with a smile.

Mike pats Nancy's shoulder. "You gotta help me, Nan. Tell her to stop reading those damn books."

"Maybe she's just getting some pointers," Nancy says, wading out into the water, glancing between Mike and her boyfriend. "Hey, we should totally dress up as romance novel couples for Halloween this year."

Ned shakes his head. "I like the kinds of costumes that take less than four hours to get out of, myself."

"You mean about twelve seconds," Nancy says, her lashes low as she casts a mock-innocent look at him.

Jen has a mostly smug look on her face. "Yeah, you never were a very patient guy," she coos, patting Ned's chest.

"Hey, enough, enough. Shit, man, you remember that fucking crazy Halloween party sophomore year?" Mike asks, chuckling. Once they're out in water that's deep enough, he starts to help Nancy up onto his shoulders, while Ned, looking just a little uncomfortable, helps Jen do the same, and the brunette uses every opportunity to run her hands over Ned's mostly-bare body.

"Oh man! Yeah, that thing was _amazing_. I think we played Asshole until four o'clock in the morning..." Jen says, her eyes bright. "Or the one senior year? I can't believe what I wore..."

Ned glances up at Nancy, his expression somewhere between pained and apologetic. So he was with her then, and now she's trying to get him to think about it. "Let me guess. Stripper?" Nancy says, her voice saccharine-sweet.

"I—"

Quick as a flash Nancy has her hand in the water, and Jennifer, too busy reminiscing about when she used to fuck Nancy's boyfriend, is caught entirely off-guard.

From the offhand comments Ned has made, Nancy has an idea that a small part of him is probably enjoying watching her wrestle Jennifer. Mike has a firm grip on her legs, and when Nancy imagines Ned holding Jen the same way, it's all she can do not to grab the other girl's head and yank her by her hair into the water.

All four of them are soaked, sore, their score even as they wade back onto shore. Nancy wrings out her hair, and when her eye catches Ned's, he gives her a little sheepish smile. Nancy managed to resist the impulse to "accidentally" slam her forehead into Jen's nose or bitchslap the other woman until her teeth rattled, and for that, she's pretty sure she deserves a medal. Or Ned going down on her until she's screaming with pleasure.

And now, thinking about that, she can't wait to get out of her wet swimsuit and into his arms.

"Man. I think I'm gonna lay out for a while," Jen says, sweeping her dripping hair off her cheeks. "But I'm gonna need help with my back..."

Nancy reaches for Ned's hand. "Well, we've got some plans tonight that maybe we should _rest up_ for," Nancy murmurs, and from the look on Ned's face, he knows exactly what she's thinking.

"Ooooh! That reminds me!" Jack is right next to her, practically salivating at the thought of lotioning up her tanned back, when Jennifer glances around. Even Jan lowers her book an inch. "We're gonna hit the club tonight, right? It's gonna be amazing—live music and everything. And Ned, you _have_ to go. _Have_ to. I can't remember the last time I saw you dance."

Ned glances at Nancy. "That sounds great, but maybe we'll go tomorrow. Plans and everything."

"It's _vacation_ ," Jen points out, with a little pout. "The band won't be there tomorrow night. Come _on._ "

Nancy hates the fact that Jen's trying to shove it down his throat—she isn't even making the token effort to pretend that she wants Nancy there—but Nancy knows how much Ned loves to dance, and she does love to dance with him. They've only been dancing a few times over the summer. Jen's working on convincing the rest of the group when Nancy tugs Ned's hand, leading him a few steps away.

"We can go," she says, tucking a strand of wet hair behind her ear. "If you want."

He takes her other hand, gazing into her eyes, and he looks so damn handsome that for a second she almost holds her breath. "It's our anniversary, remember? We were gonna make dinner together..."

"Well, our anniversary really isn't until tomorrow," she points out. "The groceries will keep. Besides, I like the thought of dancing with you. Feeling your arms around me."

His eyes sparkle. "Oh, you're gonna feel my arms around you regardless," he tells her. "But, Nan... seriously. I don't want to go unless you want to."

She touches his cheek. "She wants you back," Nancy says frankly. "And let's just say I wouldn't mind showing her what she's missing, and then taking you home and having my way with you."

They agree to meet back at the larger house for a quick meal of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs before they hit the club, and then Nancy and Ned walk back down to their place to take a shower. She strips off her coverup and swimsuit practically as soon as they walk in, and Ned is making soft sounds of approval as he follows her into the bathroom.

"You sure you want to go dancing?" he murmurs, sliding his arms around her and pulling her back to his chest as they wait for the water to hit the right temperature. "I think we could do some dancing right here..."

"Yeah, what you have in mind is definitely not dancing," she tells him, even though she sways a little against him as his fingertips trace small circles over her bare belly.

"It is so. It's just what generally happens _after_ we're dancing."

She chuckles. "You treat dancing like foreplay."

"You saying you aren't wet by the time we walk off the floor?"

"I'm saying that you are like liquid sex out there," she says, turning in his arms, and then she brings her gaze up to meet his. "And I can't wait."

They resist the urge to have sex in the shower, although at one point he does pin her against the wall and kiss her until they are both gasping, clinging together, and she wants to wrap her body around his and beg him to fuck her until the hot water runs out. They scrub off the lotion and climb into bed together naked, her body molded against his, the gentle pulse of his heart vibrating against her lips as she presses them to his chest.

She doesn't understand it. She loves having sex with him, always has, but sleeping beside him... maybe because before it happened so rarely before, and she didn't have the time to linger in the warmth of his arms when he was at Emerson and she was working cases. When the sex is over, or even when they've both had a long day and they just slip into his bed together, she feels safe, and loved, like she's at peace.

She's the first one to wake when the alarm goes off, and as she silences it, Ned rolls on top of her. She giggles and shoves at him, trying to get him off her, and he slips his knee between her legs, capturing her wrists.

"Sweetheart," she murmurs.

"Mmm?" He brushes his lips against the blue shadow of her inner wrists, and she shivers.

"We have forty-five minutes to get ready."

"Takes me five," he murmurs, kissing the crease of her elbow.

"Well, it's gonna take me forty-five... _mmmmm_..."

She's two seconds from giving in when he finally pulls back, and she scrambles into the bathroom before she tackles him in frustration. Her hair is sun-bleached just a little lighter and she wears it in loose waves pinned up at the crown of her head that take way too fucking long to get right, puts on just a bit of makeup, and shimmies into her dress, studying her reflection from a few different angles before she slips on a pair of strappy heels.

Ned's in the living room, and she rests her palm on the doorframe, waiting to see the expression on his face when he sees her. "Hey Ned, could you help me with..."

He turns and she smiles when his mouth drops open, just a little.

It's a very thin dress, a deep crimson, ankle-length and slit up past her knee. The halter neck kisses the bodice, keeping the fabric in place over her breasts, then crosses over the back of the dress. Her spine is almost fully bare, and once Ned ties the string, the dress will hug her like a second skin. Given how tight it is, she's wearing a tiny thong and a pair of breast petals underneath, and that's it.

She turns to let him see the strings hanging loose at the back, one hand holding up the bodice so it won't loosen the lacing. "Can you tie me up?"

His eyes darken a little at the double entendre, and she wonders for a second if he'll take her up on it, but he slowly pulls the laces taut and ties them. Then his fingertips skip up the line of her spine, the bare skin between the laces. "You look sexy as hell," he growls, slipping his arm around her.

"So do you," she murmurs. His pants make his ass look spectacular, and she desperately wants to run her nails over him, drive him to pin her against the wall.

Jennifer has gone the other way, Nancy sees when they rejoin the group for dinner. Her dress dips low between her breasts, revealing the ridges of her breastbone, and her skirt is so short that the barest hint of breeze will give everyone a flash of her panties—if she bothered wearing any. She and Nancy greet each other with perfunctory smiles, although Nancy's still convinced that Jen isn't going to give up so easily.

The band is already in full swing when they arrive. Mike and Howie kick off the night in true frat-boy fashion by ordering the entire group a round of shots, and Jen takes hers with great relish, and Nancy remembers the other girl playing up her inebriation to exploit Ned's gallantry. When the next round comes Nancy tips hers back quick and asks the bartender for a long island iced tea, and while Ned raises his eyebrows just a little, he doesn't say anything.

"Oh my God I _love_ this song," Jen squeals when the next one begins, although Nancy has a feeling she couldn't actually care less; she just needs something with a good beat so she can sway her hips in front of Ned. Quick as an eyeblink she's tugging on his hand, a pleading look on her face, and again Ned glances over at Nancy, maybe wondering if this will result in another chicken fight challenge. When Nancy waves him on, reaching for drink, Ned doesn't exactly look pleased to be accompanying Jen, but he does it anyway.

Jan slides onto the stool beside Nancy's. "Girl, you look fantastic tonight."

"Thanks," Nancy grins. "That lavender looks fantastic on you."

Jan looks down at her jersey dress. "Oh, I know it's not much. Didn't get the memo that we were dressing to the nines tonight. Besides, I'm not the one trying to make sure my man keeps his eyes on me."

Nancy chuckles. "So the romance novels are just to excite an inferiority complex?"

Jan shrugs, stirring her drink with her straw. "Maybe I just like it when he takes the book out of my hand and offers to give me a real-live reenactment," she giggles. "He's so funny about that kind of thing. Although, speaking of funny... so you're just gonna let them dance together?"

Nancy shrugs a little too. "It's a free country, and he's a free man. As soon as I finish this I'll get over there and grab him."

Jan shakes her head, incredulous. "If she was dancing up on Mike the way she is..." she starts, then trails off. "I don't know. You're stronger than I am."

"Not really." Nancy takes a long sip of her drink. "But she must be pretty stupid if she actually thinks I'm gonna let her get anywhere with this little game."

Jen has her mouth at Ned's ear when Nancy, just beginning to feel the fuzzy euphoria from the alcohol, walks out onto the dance floor. Ned's expression becomes pure relief when he sees his girlfriend, and Jen intentionally dances a little closer to him, trying to take advantage of their time together.

Nancy doesn't even bother tapping Jen on the shoulder and asking if she can cut in. She reaches for Ned's hand and he comes to her, leaving Jen staring daggers at Nancy. "Sorry it took me so long, sweetheart," Nancy murmurs, her gaze locked to his, and when the band begins the next song, he pulls her close, tight to him. Her dress is so thin that the heat of his body radiates against hers, and she brings her lashes up slowly, her lips slightly parted.

"That was fantastic," Jen says, trying to make her voice bright. "I'll have to get you out here again, Ned."

"I wouldn't count on it," Nancy murmurs, tilting her chin up a little further, and she can't stop her mouth from curving up just a little when Jen flounces away, doubtless to find Jack and take out her frustration on him. For his sake Nancy almost hopes he turns her down.

"I like this version of you."

"Oh?"

"I mean, a catfight in the middle of the dancefloor, that would have been hot too, but... ugh."

She runs her fingertips down the sides of his face, their hips locked and moving together to the beat. "I don't want her thinking, 'Oh, if I'd just had one more chance I could've gotten him,'" she murmurs. "I want her walking away from this _knowing_ she's lost. And that no matter what, she wasn't going to get what I have with you."

"Oh, she never did, sweetheart," Ned murmurs, his lips brushing the line of her jaw. The beat of the song thrums faster, the bass pounding through them both, and he lifts her arms into the air, then circles her, keeping his palm low on her belly, and she trembles when his fingertips brush against the bare flesh at the small of her back. When he comes back around to face her she cups his cheek and keeps her gaze locked to his as she swings her hips to the beat. She lets her hand drift down his front, veering off just before she touches his fly, and his jaw tightens a little at the torture.

Soon everyone in their group is out on the floor, laughing and shouting to each other over the din. Nancy knows there are eyes on them, that most likely Jen's jealous gaze has been lingering on them the entire time, but then Ned takes her and twirls her, and when he draws her back to him, her back is against his front, and she flushes just a little when she feels his erection press against her. She takes a breath and shimmies her hips, intentionally rubbing against him, and he lets out a low groan, grasping her hands to pull her arms up as she slowly grinds into him.

"You weren't kidding, were you," he growls when she straightens back to her full height. "Fuck. I just want to drag you into a corner and hike that skirt up, baby—"

She grins, almost wickedly. "Yeah, but I think you promised you'd make me scream," she points out.

The next dance is slower, and he pulls her tight against his chest, her head resting against his shoulder, and she's tingling, almost uncomfortably aroused at the feel of him, hard against her belly. As he guides her, as they sway together, she takes the time to press her lips against his adam's apple, the hollow between his collarbones, tracing the back of his neck with her fingertips. He begins at the nape of her neck and finds his way slowly down her spine, his fingertips rubbing a gentle circle over each bone, and then he's reached the small of her back and he keeps his fingers tight against her as he cups her hips, moving her against him in a languorous rhythm, and the more deliberate his movements against her, the tighter the world around them seems to constrict until it's all she can do to breathe. She tips her head back and Ned's lips brush the column of her throat, and between her legs, up her belly, climbing her spine, she can feel such need for him. She's aching and for the longest time she thought what she missed was just the sex, but it was _him_ , all of him, the smoldering expression in his dark eyes, the exhilaration of being in his arms.

They've never had a problem with the physical aspects of their relationship. It's time and talking that have always been harder.

She flutters her lashes up at the end of the song, dimly aware that there are other people around them. Even through the petals, her breasts feel sensitive when they brush against his chest.

Only the knowledge that she isn't sure when they'll be able to get away like this again keeps her there through another song, but she puts her hands all over him, keeping only barely on this side of decency. Near the end of the song, when she circles him, she draws her nails across his ass and his gaze immediately finds hers. He looks like he wants to grab her and march her into the nearest bathroom so they can have some measure of privacy, in retaliation.

Instead he grabs her hands and pulls them up into the air, so high that her weight is just on her toes, and takes advantage of her helplessness to slip his knee just barely between her legs. They hold each other's gazes, each daring the other to blink or cry off, and even when he moves his hips fully between her legs all she does is lick her lips, her chin tipped up defiantly, and arches to give him a better angle.

Ned groans in frustration. "Do you see Mike?" he murmurs, his voice a harsh growl.

Nancy blinks, then nods, as Ned brings her hands down.

"Wave goodbye to him," Ned requests, and as soon as she does Ned lifts her into his arms, carrying her half over his shoulder. She laughs in delight, telling herself not to wrap her legs around him—they'll never make it back if she tries that—and Jen tosses her hair, disdainful.

_Yeah, you just wish he was carrying_ you _out of here,_ Nancy thinks, linking her hands behind his neck.

The ride back to the rental cabin is torture. As soon as the door is closed Nancy reaches behind her and begins to pick at the knotted lace. When Ned takes over, toeing out of his shoes, she slides her hands under her dress and gingerly pulls off the breast petals, letting out a little hiss as the adhesive pulls her sensitive skin. Ned cries out in triumph when he finally unties the ribbon holding her gown up, and she makes sure she's facing him once the ribbon is fully loose, letting the gown pool at her feet.

Ned's shirt is already off, and he shakes his head at the sight of her, naked save a tiny sequin-trimmed thong and a pair of sandals. "God, you look gorgeous, Nan."

She slips out of her sandals, then makes quick work of his fly. He slips out of his pants as she scoops the dress up, tossing it over the back of the couch before she reaches for the band of his underwear. She hooks her fingers in it and pulls him along, guiding him the few steps to the bedroom.

He picks her up and tosses her onto the bed, on her back, and she can't help but giggle in delight. When he kneels over her and sets his mouth against her neck she lets out a loud moan, her legs moving restlessly as she urges him to rest in the valley between her parted thighs.

"I thought you were gonna kill me out there," he murmurs against her skin before he pulls her nipple into his mouth and suckles hard, and his hips are already grinding slow and firm against hers.

"For fuck's sake get your underwear off," she growls in frustration, and he chuckles as he obeys, as she reaches down and begins to slip her thong off. He moves off the bed to jerk her panties down her legs and she's so sensitive, she has been wet for him for what feels like _hours_ , that when he rubs his thumb against her clit she sobs out a cry, opening her legs even wider for him.

He slips one finger into the tender hollow of her sex and she writhes, immediately rocking against him. "Get on your hands and knees," he orders her, and she draws in a deep breath before she flips over, obeying him. Her ass is up in the air when he grasps her hips, sliding her to the edge of the bed so he can—

He brows knit, and she cries out loudly as he fits himself just inside her, then drives into her fully in a single rough thrust. " _Fuck_ ," she swears, hanging her head, and he pulls nearly out of her for another, another, drawing another cry from her each time. She parts her knees a little more, angling her hips, and when he drives into her again she trembles, sobbing in pleasure. "Oh my God baby _rightthere yes please yes_ —"

"Right there, baby?" he manages to force out, and then he slips his hand between her legs, fluttering his fingertips roughly over her clit.

She cries out, tossing her head, loose escaped tendrils brushing her cheeks. " _Fuck_ ," she pants, whimpering when he circles her clit with a fingertip. "Oh _God_ that feels so good, baby, _oh_ —"

He shifts the angle of his hips and at his next thrust he hits her g-spot and her hips buck as she screams. He groans when her inner flesh tightens around his cock in response, and he hits it again on the next stroke, leaving her shuddering, begging him. His thumb digs hard at her clit and he's stroking rapidly between her legs, and she knows she's flushed and wanton against him but oh holy _fuck_ , she cries out again, building until she's breathless and gasping, her voice high and broken and desperate.

"More?" Ned's panting as he fucks her and she knows from the tension in his voice that he's close.

"Oh _shit_ , baby, so good," she cries out, screaming when he flicks her clit. The wet sound of their joining drives her arousal even higher, and oh her belly is tight with it, her breasts tender with it, and she cups her hand over his, crying out again as he pushes into her with a particularly rough thrust. She is nothing but solid desire now, and when the head of his cock brushes her g-spot again she bears down against him, her arousal gushing hot against his cock as she comes, sobbing out a desperate scream.

_"Shit_ ," Ned groans, pushing hilt-deep into her as he comes, and with every brush of his fingertips against her clit she tightens against him, moaning. She feels nothing, knows nothing outside the two of them, and when he pulls out of her she shudders, feeling the trace of them slick down her inner thighs.

She falls onto her side and when he brings her a cloth she cleans herself up with a sigh, blinking up at him. He sits down at the foot of the bed, her legs sprawled off the end, shaking his head.

"Was it good—"

She's nodding vigorously before he's even finished asking the question. "God, it was so good. Did you... did you like it?"

"Are you kidding?" He lowers himself to the bed beside her, facing her, and brushes a strand of hair off her cheek. "I mean, for a while I was afraid I was hurting you..."

She cups her hand over his, shaking her head. "The way it feels when you—when you make me come, it's so fucking intense, baby..."

He slides close to her. "And you sounded so damn sexy," he murmurs, his fingertips drifting down over her shoulder blade.

She flushes a little. "I wanted to do that every single time we had sex," she admits. " _Especially_ that last time at your place..."

"Well, this place isn't too far away," he muses. "And if it's gonna be that amazing, I can definitely make the time to get us out here."

"I can't imagine it getting any better," she says, a twinkle in her eye, as she rolls onto her back. It's hard to move, she's so relaxed, but when he begins to crawl up to pull the covers down, she follows, craving the feel of his skin against hers again.

"Okay, I _know_ that was a dare," Ned says, and she laughs as she moves into his arms.

\--

In the morning the clouds have rolled in, an angry blue-purple edged in blinding white, with the sun only coming through in intermittent bursts. He wakes her with a kiss and the rain begins as she slips her fingers into his hair, her breath escaping in a soft sigh as she stretches, arching against him.

The dinner they have planned won't take so long to prepare, so around lunchtime, when the rain has tapered off and left the atmosphere just a little cooler, they put on their swimsuits and run out into the water. He doesn't mention going to the other house and neither does she. She just wants him. She doesn't want to share him with anyone today, doesn't want to have to be polite if Jennifer tries to get close to him again. She just wants to wrap her arms around him and press her lips to his and just exist, breathing, listening to his heart and losing herself in his dark eyes.

She and George used to tease Bess about feeling this way all the time, and she wonders again if this is her torment, if he loved her this way for so long and now that she's broken his heart, she is doomed to love him this way, so hopelessly, so helplessly, in return.

She could not bear it if he says he doesn't feel the same anymore, and she cannot bear the risk of knowing if he never will.

"I couldn't be as calm as you," he murmurs, brushing his wet dark hair off his forehead as they face each other in the water, lazy after racing each other halfway across the lake a few times. "I mean, seriously, if we were somewhere like this and I knew some guy you used to date was there..."

"Well, let's just say that I've exhausted my patience as far as Jen's concerned," Nancy says with a smile, slipping her arms around him. "If we head over there tomorrow... I'll be nice. But today I just want to be around you."

"Me too, baby," he murmurs, and when he kisses her, she shivers, slipping her legs around his waist.

"So... what _would_ you do?" she asks, tilting her head, when he pulls back.

"Well, dancing? Off the table," he says, his hands slipping down to cup her hips. "Definitely. I don't want to see you dancing with anyone else."

"That's very possessive."

He shrugs. "I'm just being honest," he says, and kisses the point of her jaw, and she shivers against him. "And the second he spoke to you I'd want to walk over there and do this to you..." He kisses her hard, holding her tight to him, and by the time he pulls back she's gasping for breath, hungry for more. A handful of raindrops splatter against the surface of the lake but she can't care about it at all.

"Mmm," she manages, trying to remember what the hell they're talking about. "All this isn't exactly sounding all that bad..."

"And all that buildup yesterday was worth it once we were on the dance floor," he growls, nipping at her earlobe. "So fucking sexy, Nan."

"So you wanted me to just give in to it," she murmurs, running her fingers through his hair. "Give in to how it makes my heart hurt when I see her look at you. When I think of her tangled around you in bed, when I wonder if she's better than me in bed. When I find myself hoping that you missed me as much as I missed you when we were apart..."

"More," he whispers, and her throat is thick, their kiss hard, almost angry. "I found the other half of myself and then it was gone, you were _gone_ —"

She lets out a little cry when their mouths meet again, the rain cold on her face, and they cling to each other even as he gathers her in his arms and carries her out onto shore. The thunder rumbles in the distance and the breeze is cooler now, but he's hot against her and God, she's shaking, they can't do this, they can't talk about this, not yet, not with everything still so fragile around them.

He pulls her to the shower and they rinse the lake water off and then he presses her against the cool white tile, the hard tips of her breasts brushing against it, leaving her shivering. His erection is pressing into the small of her back as he dips his fingers between her thighs and she cries out, bringing one leg up to rest her foot against the shallow lip of the tub as he strokes her.

"You used to be so jealous," he pants against her ear, and she sobs, angling so she can reach behind her and wrap her fingers around his cock. "Remember when you ran out in the snow—"

She swallows hard, rubbing her thumb over the head of his cock. "I couldn't," she cries out, her hips bucking as he works three fingers into her. "Oh _God_... I couldn't, I can't blame you but _God_ , I just..."

Her voice just becomes high gasping cries as they stroke each other, and her screams echo against the tile when she finally comes, when he follows. She turns in his arms, unsteady, and his lashes are dark and wet and her heart is beating so hard her lips are trembling with its rhythm.

"You are the other half of me too," she whispers, holding his gaze. "And I don't want to be the jealous girlfriend, I don't want to hang all over you like I'm afraid of losing you even though every time I see her I want to climb in your lap and kiss you until I'm numb. I don't want to give her, or the other girls like her, the satisfaction of seeing how incredibly desperate I am to keep you..."

He strokes his fingertips down her cheek, leaning in until her back is against the cold tile, until he's pinning her there, and he kisses her slow and sweet and she feels a single tear streak down her cheek.

"I'll tell you a secret, Drew," he whispers against her lips. "You have me. You've had me for years now."

She closes her eyes and draws in a slow deep breath, gathering every bit of strength she can. "What if that isn't enough," she whispers.

The expression in his eyes almost kills her, and she touches his arm, shaking her head.

"There was a time when you would have given me forever," she whispers. "And I would have thrown it away." Her voice is shaking a little. "And now I'm the one standing in front of you and, Ned, I would deserve it if you said you don't feel that way anymore, but I know now..."

She trails off, her sight blurring with tears, and he crooks his finger under her chin and tilts her head back up so he can look into her face.

"You are what I want, forever," she whispers. "I don't care if we don't put a name on it, I don't care where we are or what we're doing, but I don't ever want to be without you again."

He pulls her up, into his arms, and she hates the fact that she's crying, that she let him see her so vulnerable, but his voice trembles just a little when he sighs. "That's all I want too," he admits, with a little laugh, and the relief she feels is like a thousand pounds off her, all at once.

\--

The pizza dough Ned made is perfect, just chewy enough. She makes the salad while he puts on the toppings, layering pepperoni, ham, bacon, mushrooms, onions, and peppers, the cheese and sauce, and no olives, none at all. While the pizza's in the oven they open their first beers of the day and click them together, smiling at each other.

She still feels like she's shaking inside. She had come so close to turning back so many times, the night she finally talked herself into driving over to his parents' house and waiting for him on the front porch. The sheer joy she feels when she looks at him is almost painful in its intensity.

They're both barefoot, her hair in messy waves over her shoulders, and she takes the apron off and settles down at the table. The storm has only grown louder outside, and the mismatched candles in the center of the table may very well serve as their only illumination if the power goes out.

"Okay, Nickerson, I have to admit, you did a pretty awesome job with this," she says after her second bite of pizza. "And you said there's a secret ingredient in the sauce?"

"Anchovies," he says, with a sparkle in his eye, and she pauses for a second before she swallows. "Paul swears by them, and I didn't believe him, but it is pretty good, huh?"

She nods, taking a sip of her beer. "I can't believe you've known how to do this and we've been wasting money on delivery pizza."

"Well, it does take some time," he points out. "And delivery pizza isn't _that_ bad."

She shakes her head. "Okay. For our next anniversary, I'll try to make something pretty awesome too."

"Babe, as long as you can sweet-talk Hannah into making a cake... I'm good."

They've cleared the table and he goes to the refrigerator for the cake when she dashes back to the bedroom, finding the present she brought for him. He groans when he sees it, but his eyes are sparkling, and his lips curve up a little. "It's not fair to spring presents on people," he tells her.

She takes the knife and cuts him a large slice of Hannah's double chocolate fudge cake, shaking her head. "It's not fair when you expect one in return," she replies. "Go on, open it."

He peels back the paper and flips the book over, his eyes lighting up when he sees the title. "Son of a bitch, Nan, how did you get this?"

Dr. Mitchell was one of Ned's favorite teachers during his time at Emerson, and Ned had been very disappointed when he had gone on sabbatical to work on his World War II novel. Mitchell had been granted access to the large Smithsonian collection of personal correspondence, and the book has received glowing advance reviews. It's not set to be released for another month.

She grins, loving the delighted, incredulous expression on his face. "I called in a few favors," she admits. "Open it."

Mitchell had even been nice enough to give the book an inscription, addressed to Ned. He reads it and then puts it down carefully on the counter before he picks her up, holding her tight.

"You... Nan, I love it. Thank you so much."

She kisses his cheek. "I'm glad you like it, sweetheart."

" _Love_ it," he corrects her, kissing the corner of her mouth. "And if I didn't have a slice of chocolate cake in front of me and a gorgeous woman at my side, I'd start reading it right now."

She is just scraping up a few last crumbs from her own cake slice when Ned vanishes for a moment, returning with a small wrapped box. She tilts her head, making a face. "So you were protesting too much," she says, shaking her head as she accepts it. "And you know you didn't have to do this."

"I know. But I wanted to."

She smiles. Ned has great taste in jewelry, or maybe it's just because he knows what he wants to see on her. Resting on a square of cotton batting are a pair of celtic-knot earrings, a small marbled green stone set into the largest loop of each. "Oh, Ned, they're lovely," she murmurs, touching one gently with her fingertip. "Thank you so much."

"Um... keep going."

She raises an eyebrow at him, sliding the earrings out of the box and picking up the square of batting.

A key is resting underneath.

"It's... to my place," he says, his brows drawn together just a little, and he looks sweetly anxious. "I'm not... I'm not saying that we should move in together like next week or anything... and yeah, I _know_ you know where the hide-a-key is," he says, chuckling.

"Well, it did take me twice as long as it usually does to find it," she reassures him, although she can't stop herself from grinning.

"It's just... you know, when you're in town, or whatever... I hate that when you leave there's none of you behind, and I've cleared out a drawer for you to use, and... okay, say something, maybe...?"

She picks up the key. "Is it awful if I say this means more than the earrings? I mean, I love the earrings, but this...? I'd love to leave some clothes over at your place and everything..."

He lifts her into his arms, hugging her tight, and she laughs. "I mean, you're right, I don't think we're quite ready to _live together_ , but... thank you so much, baby."

He gives her a soft kiss. "Okay, now that I've gotten through possibly the third most nerve-wracking moment of my life..."

"Did you really think I wouldn't take it?"

He shrugs. "Honestly? I wasn't sure, not until today," he murmurs. "And I think we should start a tradition, where you get to model whatever I give you for our anniversary... while wearing nothing else."

She pouts. "Hey, I think I promised you a little Victoria's Secret fashion show. The one you were too impatient for me to give you last night."

" _Me_ too impatient?" he replies, putting her down. "I'm sorry, _who_ was trying to fuck who on the dance floor last night?"

"Uh, both of us?" she points out, picking up the box with the earrings and the key and walking back toward the bedroom. "Just give me five minutes and we'll see if we can't find a compromise."

He follows her, catching her hand before she crosses the threshold, and pulls her back into his arms for a long, slow kiss. "I love you, Nan," he murmurs against her lips. "And I can't wait to wake up to you a lot more often."

She returns the kiss with a little grin. "Every night we can for the rest of our lives," she tells him.

"You bet, baby."


End file.
